Friday, August 28, 2015

The BerlinKabinettCup 2015 took place in Berlin, Germany, a few weeks ago, orchestrated by Martin Zwick. 39 German Riesling Kabinett 2014 wines were included and ranked in the tasting. 2/3 of the wines came from the Mosel Saar Ruwer area. The wines were blind-tasted by 12 sommeliers, wine writers and wine retailers.

Martin Zwick: I select the wines for my Cup based on tastings, recommendations and reading. I serve the wines blind in 2er flights and after 5 flights the jury has to give their scores based on the 100pts-system. Then the next 5 flights will continue. At the end when all wines have received their scores I will show the wines. BTW, the best/worst scores of each wine will be deleted. Note: The estates JJ Prüm and Molitor didn´t send bottles, as it is too early for them. In addition Egon Müller doesn´t provide tasting bottles for competitions, never.

Picture: Christian Schiller and Carl von Schubert of Maximin Grünhaus in Washington DC. His Kabinett came in as #2

See also:
Carl von Schubert from the Maximin Gruenhaus Estate Returned a Favor: With his Wines in Washington DC (and in Seattle), USA

Riesling

There are about 47000 hectares planted with Riesling worldwide. Germany – with 22500 hectares – accounts for about half of the total. The second and third largest Riesling producer are the US (mainly Washington State and Finger Lakes Region) with 4800 hectares and Australia with 4100 hectares. But this is only about 1/10 of the total. Alsace follows with 3500 hectares. Alsace, Ukraine and Austria follow with 3500 hectares, 2700 hectares and 1900 hectares, respectively.

Picture: Tasting at Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim with Fritz Hasselbach, with Annette Schiller,Ombiasy PR and WineTours. Weingut Gunderloch's Kabinett came in as #4

Overall, Riesling is really a niche wine, accounting for less than 1 percent of total wine production in the world - but a very special niche wine. In terms of quality wines, Riesling is usually included in the top three white wine varieties, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Riesling is highly terroir-expressive, meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by the wine’s place of origin.

Picture: Joel B. Payne, Gault Millau, Thomas Haag, Winemaker of the Year, and Father Wilhelm Haag. Weingut Schloss Lieser came in as #9 and #11

Martin Zwick was initially known for organizing the BerlinRieslingCup every year. The BerlinRieslingCup is about Germany’s ultra-premium dry grand cru (Grosses Gewächs) Rieslings from Grosse Lage vineyards. It typically takes place in the second half of September, following the release of the Grosses Gewächs wines of the previous year.

In the following years, he added 3 other Berlin Cups: The BerlinGutsrieslingCup, which reviews and rates entry-level Rieslings. The BerlinKabinettCup: A ranking of off-dry, light Rieslings that carry the Kabinett predicate. Finally, the BerlinSpätburgunderCup, a ranking of German Pinot Noirs.

Thus, there are now 4 BerlinCups: BerlinRieslingCup, BerlinGutsRieslingCup, BerlinKabinettCup and BerlinSpätburgunderCup. See more below.

What is a Kabinett? That depends. In the framework of the standard classification of German wine (the Law of 1971), Kabinett has a different meaning than in the framework of the new classification adopted by the VDP.

In the standard classification, a Kabinett is defined by the sugar content of the grapes at harvest. It is a wine made from grapes harvested with a sugar content of 67 to 87 degrees Öchsle that was not chaptalized. Such a wine can be fully fermented and become dry. These are the Kabinett Trocken wines.

Picture: Lunch and Tasting at Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstadt with Owner Annegret Reh-Gartner and her Husband, the former Chef Gerhard Gartner

Alternatively, the winemaker could stop the fermentation so that natural sugar remains in the finished wine (and perhaps add a bit of sterilized juice – Süssreserve) to produce a wine that is fruity-sweet. That could be indicated on the label as Kabinett Feinherb, or Kabinett Halbtrocken.

In sum: In the framework of the standard classification of German wine, a Kabinett could be a dry or a fruity-sweet wine, with the terms Trocken, Feinherb and Halbtrocken indicating the sweetness level in the wine. In both cases, it is a rather light wine, made with grapes that were picked early in the harvest.

The VDP producers have introduced a new classification, very much based on the Burgundian approach. In their new classification, Kabinett no longer stands for a certain ripeness of the grapes at harvest, but stands for a certain sweetness level of the wine in the bottle. If a winemaker harvests grapes at the Kabinett level (in terms of sugar content at harvest), but wants to make a dry wine out of it, the winemaker has to market the wine as Qualitaetswein (QbA).

Only wines that have a certain sweetness in the finished wine can be sold as Kabinett. Kabinett Trocken does not exist for VDP producers (although some VDP members still produce Kabinett trocken during a transition period). All the wines sold as Kabinett are in a certain Kabinett sweetness range.

For the VDP winemakers, Kabinett is an indication of a certain sweetness profile. And Auslese is sweeter than Spätlese and Spätlese sweeter than Kabinett. The terms “Halbtrocken” and “Feinherb” have become redundant in the VDP classification system.

The wines in the BerlinKabinettCup 2015 were all wines where the fermentation was interrupted to generate a wine “that dances” as Stephen Rheinhardt has put it in the Sueddeutschen Zeitung: A low alcohol wine with some remaining sweetness – Feinherb and Halbtrocken Kabinetts, no Trocken Kabinetts.

Martin Zwick: I made this "BerlinKabinettCup" not because of another Cup, not because of ranking, not because of scores. The true star is the KABINETT. Here in Germany Kabinett was heavily overlooked in the last years, as most people drank trocken, trocken, trocken. My "BerlinKabinettCup" created awareness in Germany for Kabinett and now the people buy more Kabinett. That´s all about.

My impression is, that the vintage was difficult in those more northern parts. We had wines labeled "Kabinett" with overripe, even burnt fruit, some with unripe fruit und some with unclean (rotten) fruit. As every year, there were some great bottles, but I would have called them rather Spätlese or even Auslese than Kabinett. A producer from the Mosel actually explained why the wines were so different: the time window for harvesting clean, ripe grapes was extremly short on the Mosel. In around one week, the grapes turnde from immature to rot.

I would pick 3 wines of the evening:

- my favorite: Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken, Riesling Kabinett Saarburger Rausch. More like a Spätlese, but what a good one! Precise and full of energy.
- my surprize: Gunderloch, "Jean Baptist" Kabinett feinherb. Good spiciness.
- the most kabinett-like: Willi Schäfer, Graacher Himmelreich.

We spent a morning and part of the afternoon at Oliver Leflaive. The visit comprised 3 parts: (1) We started out with an extensive walk through the vineyards of Puligny Montrachet. (2) This was followed by a visit of the winery. (3) We ended the stop in Puligny Montrachet with a tasting lunch at La Table de Olivier, the restaurant of Maison Olivier Leflaive.

Patrick Leflaive, the brother of Olivier Leflaive and President of Maison Oliver Leflaive, joined us for lunch.

This posting covers parts (1) and (2). Part (3) will be covered in a separate posting.

The Leflaive Family in Puligny Montrachet

Just after the First World War, Olivier’s grandfather, Joseph Leflaive, was faced with the failure of his steel factory in Saint-Etienne. His investments in Burgundy were all he had left and he decided to enlarge his wine estate. Burgundy had not yet recovered from the effect of the phylloxera epidemic, which meant that vineyards were for sale at a very low price. Joseph Leflaive was able to buy 25 hectares for his domaine.

In 1920, Joseph Leflaive started a program of replantation with better adapted root stock, and progressively started to sell wine under his own label rather than to négociants. It became a family-run operation covering some 35 hectares.

After the death of Joseph Leflaive in 1953, his son, Joseph Régis, the father of Olivier and Patrick Leflaive, was in insurance and along with his brother Vincent, decided to take over the rein of Domaine Leflaive. The estate soon began producing top-flight wines.

In 1973, Domaine Leflaive was given a company structure to avoid splitting it up with subsequent inheritance, with the family members becoming the shareholders. Joseph Régis had 5 children and Vincent Leflaive had 3 children. Joseph Régis and Vincent Leflaive continued to manage the company.

Pictures: Annette and Christian Schiller with Patrick Leflaive

Olivier Leflaive

Oliver Leflaive is one of the 5 children of Joseph Régis. Initially, he pursued a career in TV and radio for 10 years. In 1982, he joined his uncle Vincent Leflaive to co-manage Domaine Leflaive.

In 1984, Olivier Leflaive launched his own company Olivier Leflaive Frères, which we visited, with the help of his uncle Vincent and his brother Patrick. He quickly established his own reputation amongst Burgundy’s finest.

In 1990, Anne-Claude Leflaive replaced her father Vincent Leflaive in the management of Domaine Leflaive.

In 1994, the share holderss of Domaine Leflaive, i.e. the family Leflaive decided to give the management of Domaine Leflaive to Anne-Claude Leflaive. Olivier Leflaive left Domaine Leflaive and focused henceforth on his own company, Olivier Leflaive Frères, which he had already launched 10 years before.

Maison Olivier Leflaive Frères

Olivier Leflaive founded his own company Olivier Leflaive Frères, which we visited, with the help of his uncle Vincent and his brother Patrick, in In 1984. His brother Patrick invested in the business and became co-owner. His uncle Vincent also invested and acted in an advisory capacity, introducing him to winegrowers, and eventually to Jean-Marc Boillot who became his winemaker from 1984 to 1988.

Together, they brought this haute-couture business to life.

In 1988, Franck Grux took over as a winemaker and still holds this role today. Franck Grux was a young and talented winemaker who had been working at the Domaine Roulot in Meursault. He rapidly became Olivier’s right-hand man. Over the two past decades, he was able to establish a strong, long-term relationships with the best growers in the region.

Olivier Leflaive Frères is known today as a négociant (a wine buyer and seller) of high quality with a focus on the whites from the famous villages of Puligny, Chassagne and Meursault. Olivier Leflaive is continuously expanding and has acquired several vineyards that allow the Domaine to develop and build up its range of Domaines Wines alongside the négoce business.

In the same year, Oliver Leflaive retired from Olivier Leflaive Frères.

In the Vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet

We started our visit with a vineyard walk. We walked about a kilometer from La Maison d’Olivier Leflaive to the vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet.

Pictures: Vineyard Walk in Puligny Montrachet

Olivier Leflaive: Our daily mission is to produce top quality grapes. This involves a sustainable approach to working the vines, and also supporting our partner winegrowers in cultivating their plots using an organic or biodynamic approach. We have not any organic certification as we don’t hesitate to use chemical treatment if it’s really necessary.

The harvest is entirely manual and the grapes are picked with the utmost respect for the plant. Harvesting by machine is to be avoided at all costs as it damages the vines and can never match the skill and judgment of a human being.

In the Cellar of Olivier Leflaive

From the vineyards, we walked back to La Maison d’Olivier Leflaive and from there to the new production facility.

Pictures: In the Cellar of Olivier Leflaive in Puligny Montrachet

Olivier Leflaive: Although the quality of the harvest is key, vinification and ageing also play a major role in bringing out the essence of each appellation. Franck Grux and Philippe Grillet make it their daily task to ensure the quality of the wines and respect for the terroir. As such, the estate’s approach is to treat each cuvée individually.

Olivier Leflaive: We vinify and age the equivalent of 120 hectares of vines (including 17 of our own), the majority of which are white wines from the three prestigious Côte de Beaune villages of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, as well as from Chablis and the Côte Chalonnaise.

Lunch and Wine Tasting at La Table de Olivier

From the production facility, we walked back to La Maison d’Olivier Leflaive, where we had lunch cum wine tasting with Patrick Leflaive joining us. The lunch will be covered in a separate posting.

Picture: Lunch at La Table d'Olivier (see separate Posting)

Postings on the Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France (Posted and Forthcoming)

The 40th Rheingau Wine Festival took place from August 14 to 23 between the Wiesbaden city hall, market church and city palace.

Annette Schiller and I flew from Washington DC to Frankfurt on August 20 and arrived in Frankfurt on August 21. In the afternoon, we drove over to Wiesbaden, just half an hour away from Frankfurt, to enjoy an evening of Rheingau wines at the Rheingau Wine Festival.

Pictures: Mark Barth, Weingut Barth, with Annette Schiller

See also:Barth Primus is Germany’s First Sekt Made with an Erstes Gewaechs Wine

This year, I had the pleasure to enjoy the wines from the Rheingau with my granddaughter Viatrix, my daughters Cornelia Schiller-Tremann and Katharina Schiller, along with my wife Annette Schiller and Katharina’s friend Patrick Waltz. Below are some photo impressions from the evening.

Picture: The Rheingau

Rheingau Wine Festival

The Rheingauer Weinwoche, begun as a promotional event by the winegrowers of the Rheingau region 40 years ago, is now Europe’s biggest wine festival. It attracts more than 10 million visitors per year over a ten-day run.

During these 10 days, festival dominates the historic center of Wiesbaden, spread over cobblestone streets around the Hessian State Parliament, the Town Hall and the Market Church. The center of Wiesbaden turns into "longest wine bar in the world". At about 100 stands, winemakers present their products, accompanied by a variety of culinary specialties of the area. Music bands and other show acts provide entertainment on a number of stages.

Pictures: Market Church

The Rheingau

It is remarkable: For its entire length of nearly 560 miles, the Rhine flows north with one exception – a 28-mile stretch where the river changes its course. Here, it flows to the west, thereby enabling both the river and the vineyards facing it to bask in the warmth of the sun all day long. This is the Rheingau, one of the medium-size German wine regions. It is a quietly beautiful region, rich in tradition. Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for Hochheim's wines contributed to their popularity in England, where they, and ultimately, Rhine wines in general, were referred to as Hock.

The third President of the USA - and notable bon viveur - Thomas Jefferson visited the Rheingau in 1788 and wrote that the wine of the "Abbaye of Johnsberg is the best made on the Rhine without comparison … That of the year 1775 is the best." He also referred to the Rheingau’s Riesling as the "small and delicate Rhysslin which grows only from Hochheim to Rudesheim". Impressed by the quality of the Rheingau Riesling wines, he bought 100 grapevines to take back to his estate in Virginia.

Although the Rheingau is one of Germany’s smaller wine-growing regions, its 3,100 ha (7,660 acres) of vineyards are vastly diverse in their geological makeup. The soil varies from stony slate at the western part near the villages of Assmannshausen and Rudesheim to loess, sand and marl in the lower central villages of Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and Hattenheim. Soil reverts to stony phyllite in the higher central and eastern villages of Hallgarten, Kiedrich and Hochheim. Generally, wines from the lower slopes where the soil is heavier—sandy loam and loess—produce fuller wines, while at the higher slopes where it is more stony and slatey, the wines reflect more minerality, elegance and concentration.

The Rheingau enjoys a distinctly continental climate with cold winters and warm, but not hot, summers. The Rheingau is dominated by Riesling, accounting for 4/5 of the vineyard area. Pinot Noir accounts for 1/10 and is concentrated around Assmannshausen.

The Rheingau introduced a few years ago the concept of Erste Lage. These are the best vineyards in the Rheingau. Any Rheingau winemaker, who owns an Erste Lage vineyard and who makes a top dry wine that passes the test of various regulations can name this wine an Erstes Gewächs. Thus: Erstes Gewächs wines are top dry wines from top vineyards (Erste Lage) in the Rheingau.

Then came the VDP - the association of German elite winemakers - into the game and introduced the concept of Grosses Gewächs for its members in all 13 German wine regions. A Grosses Gewächs is a top dry wine from the very best vineyards of the VDP members, which had been named Erste Lage until recently and, starting with the 2012 vintage, have been named Grosse Lage. Note, that for some legal reasons, the VDP has started to use the suffix VDP.

Until recently, the VDP winemakers in the Rheingau did not go along with their VDP colleagues in other regions, but they went along with their non-VDP colleagues in the Rheingau: They called their best dry wines Erstes Gewächs. Thus, until recently, the top dry wines of VDP members in the Rheingau were called Erstes Gewächs, while the rest of the VDP members in the other wine regions called their top dry wines Grosses Gewächs.

This changed with the 2012 vintage. The VDP winemakers from the Rheingau switched fronts and decided to call their best dry wines Grosses Gewächs. So, there is now uniformity on the VDP front.

Pictures: Desiree Eser, Weingut August Eser

See also:
Meeting Winemaker/Owner Desiree Eser, Weingut August Eser, on the Banks of the Rhein River in the Rheingau in Germany

But as a consequence, there is no longer uniformity in the Rheingau: There are now two denominations for the top dry wines in the Rheingau - VDP.Grosses Gewächs (VDP members) and Erstes Gewächs (non-VDP members). Roughly 90% of the top dry wines in the Rheingau are VDP.Grosses Gewächs and 10% Erstes Gewächs.

Wine Tours

About Me

I live in the greater Washington DC (US) and Frankfurt am Main (Germany) areas and write about wine. I am a member of the FIJEV (International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists and Writers). Before starting to write about wine in 2009, I was for almost 30 years an economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). I am currently in Washington DC.